1 in 5 HISD schools falls short in new ratings

More than 20 percent of campuses in the Houston Independent School District failed to meet the state's tougher academic standards this year, according to data released Thursday.

Across Texas, 10 percent of schools fell short in the new rating system, which for the first time holds them accountable for results on the state's more challenging standardized exams that launched last year.

Most districts in the Houston region fared well. Every campus in Cypress-Fairbanks, the second-largest local district, met the standards. In Fort Bend ISD, which ranks next in size, one school fell short.

Aldine ISD struggled, with 27 percent of its schools missing the mark.

"A transition to a new accountability system comes with a great deal of uncertainty," state Education Commissioner Michael Williams said in a statement. "The 2013 ratings confirm that the vast majority of districts and campuses are meeting the state's standards and providing a quality education for our students."

The Texas Education Agency, which Williams leads, overhauled the rating system this year. It's still based mostly on state test scores, but the criteria are more complex, causing confusion even among some educators.

New measures evaluate whether student test scores improved significantly over the prior year and whether low-income children and other groups that traditionally struggle met certain targets. High schools are judged on additional factors, including their graduation rates.

Schools and districts get one of two ratings - "met standard" or "improvement required" - like a pass-fail system. In the past, the state had four ratings, drawing more distinctions among campuses. The system will change again in coming years due to recently approved state legislation.

Dallas ahead of HISD

In HISD, the largest district in Texas, 58 of the 268 rated campuses - or 21.6 percent - received the "improvement required" label.

Unlike last year, HISD fared worse than the Dallas school district, which has similar demographics and ranks second in size. About 15 percent of the Dallas campuses missed the standards.

Superintendent Terry Grier said he was pleased that most schools did well on a measure that looks at test scores across all subjects and grade levels.

"At the same time," Grier said in a statement, "these ratings clearly highlight areas where we must focus our resources to ensure every student in every neighborhood is prepared to succeed in college and in the workforce."

Half of the 20 schools in Grier's signature reform program, Apollo, earned the "met standard" rating. The multimillion-dollar effort, which started three years ago, includes specially hired tutors and increased class time.

Related

All of the schools in North Forest ISD missed the standards, except for one run by a charter school. North Forest became part of HISD this summer after Williams ordered the chronically poor-performing district closed.

Three Galveston County school systems - High Island, Hitchcock and La Marque - earned a district rating of "improvement required." Galveston ISD met the standard overall, but six of its 13 rated campuses missed the mark. Cleveland ISD in Liberty County fell short, too.

In Harris County, nine charter school operators missed the district standard. No local schools in the popular KIPP, Yes Prep or Harmony charter networks earned the lower rating.

'Very complex'

More Information

How some area districts fared

District/Schools that met standard/Schools requiring improvement

Aldine 53 (73%) 20

Alief 39 (95 %) 2

Conroe 50 (98 %) 1

Cy-Fair 80 (100 %) 0

Fort Bend 69 (99 %) 1

HISD 210 (78 %) 58

Katy 55 (100 %) 0

North Forest 1 (11%) 8

Source: Texas Education Agency

*Figures exclude schools not rated

Wanda Bamberg, the Aldine ISD superintendent, noted that a school could be designated "improvement required" if it fell short in just one of the four rating areas.

Of the 73 schools rated in Aldine this year, 20 missed the standards. Under the state's old rating system, the district had no schools that earned the lowest rating last year.

"My overall concern with the new system is that it is very complex," Bamberg said, adding that her staff plans to delve into the data this week.

In Cypress-Fairbanks, associate superintendent Linda Macias attributed the district's success in part to its locally developed curriculum.

"As long as we continue to teach that and we have high expectations for our students, the testing piece should take care of itself," she said.

Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Charles Dupre praised his schools but said he knows the road will be tougher when the education agency raises the standards on the state exams. The commissioner has been phasing in the number of questions that students must answer correctly to pass the tests.

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"My admonition to our staff this year is truly just teach the curriculum," he said. "Do an effective job of teaching all day, every day and our kids are going to do well."